Post by High Priestess on Aug 1, 2016 15:04:48 GMT

Renting a private home through sites like Airbnb will remain tax-free in Massachusetts after legislators gave up a plan to extend hotel levies to short-term private lodgings.

The Airbnb meaure was not included in a key economic development bill that emerged late Sunday night after marathon negotiations between House and Senate lawmakers.

The plan’s defeat wasn’t a huge surprise: Governor Charlie Baker previously said he didn’t want to raise taxes on private rentals, and House lawmakers didn’t include a similar plan in their economic development bill.

In a twist, Airbnb, a fast-growing online service that lets people rent their spare rooms and vacation homes, had lobbied for the tax.